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You're getting ready to launch a new initiative. Already you can sense that some employees are fearful while others are eager to jump on board. How can you manage the range of reactions to this new initiative?

All change is a process. Employees must move through predictable stages to embrace a change. There are seven essential stages involved in adopting a new idea. Each of the stages is essential and builds upon the previous one. Wise leaders recognize these stages and help employees transition from one phase to the next.

7 Stages of Adopting Change

1. Awareness - Individuals gradually becomes aware of the need for a change. They see the problem and agree there must be a new solution. (Head nodding stage)

2. Optimism - The individual imagines new possibilities and options. They get excited about a new vision. (Idealistic stage)

3. Resisting - As the reality of implementation sets in the individual grapples with the implication. They wrestle with implications of this change at an organizational and personal level. (‘Yes-But' stage)

4. Designing - The person digs in and figures out a way to make the change happen. Strategies are developed and new systems and methods of operating are designed. (Planning stage)

5. Performing - Individual takes action, learns and modifies approaches to make the change work. During this phase the individual is engaged in continuous learning and new behavior. (Doing stage)

6. Assessing - Individuals review progress and assess learning's. This is ideal time to solicit feedback and reflect on personal changes undertaken to achieve the goals. (Critique stage)

7. Promoting - Individuals begin to share the idea with others and help them implement the same vision. They share their learning's and teach others approaches that work. (Evangelist stage)

Moving through the stages

Individuals in the same organization are in different stages. And although the 7 stages are sequential, individuals often move back and forth between the stages as they struggle to understand and adopt the change.

Early adopters jump immediately into the fray. Others wait until directions are clear and there is a mandate for change. There are always those who resist the change and wait for a mandate before they give up the old and move into the new.

Different Rates of Change

A solid change strategy must recognize differences in individual readiness and provide opportunities for early adopters to get involved, while also laying the groundwork for middle and late adopters to learn more and put their toes in the water.

Early Adopters quickly recognize the need for change and want opportunities to tackle innovative projects that break new ground. To succeed, leaders must provide Early Adopters with adequate encouragement, protection and support to launch their new ideas.

Middle and Late Adopters take longer to accept the vision and see what's possible. Until it's obvious what is need and it's safe to participate, Middle Adopters continue with business as usual. Yet they don't want to be left behind either and are often curious about the changes the wind. It's important to educate and share the value of new projects underway with Middle Adopters. They believe it - when they see it.

When commitment of the organization is solid and it's clear what needs to be done, Middle Adopters will come on board and become superior implementers of the changes needed.

The goal of any good change strategy is to engage the 80% who want the change. With late adopters, the goal is to minimize resistance and bad-mouthing of the change. Late adopters either come on board or leave the organization. Don't assume all late adopters are a lost cause. Sometimes they are the best allies. They simply need the resources and education to succeed.

What to expect

Initially individuals ‘awaken' to the need for change and recognize the value of the idea being proposed. Early adopters start tackling pilot projects and challenging conventional wisdom with these projects. Early initiatives are simultaneously daunting, exhilarating, achievable, and threatened by scant resources.

In the early stages of change overcoming the natural inertia of the current system requires enormous courage, commitment and tenacity. Often resistance is high and felt on both an organizational and personal level.

Once pilot projects are underway and experiencing a modicum of acceptance, more individuals come on board. Commitment deepens and implementation transitions out of ‘skunk works' to sanctioned, wide-spread initiatives.

With greater commitment and more people supporting the vision, getting involved is seen as ‘less risky' and career enhancing. Many new projects are launched and initiatives spring up on their own. Hopefully successes are shared and the learning curve is high. Individuals have stopped asking, ‘Are we going to do this?' Now they're asking, ‘How are we going to do this?'

Leaders support planning and design efforts at a system's level. Many projects are launches and efforts are coordinated and lead by a change management team. Success is palpable. Learning's are shared. Efforts are coordinated.

Success at last

Finally, tangible results are visible and can be measured. Leaders of early initiatives become mentors to others who want to implement a similar program. Some become evangelists and champion the change. Others become teachers and pass on tools and ideas. The vision is now a reality. Early adopters move to new endeavors and middle adopters start managing the new system.

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